Lalo Schifrin (person)

Boris Claudio 'Lalo' Schifrin was born on the 21st of June 1932 in Buenos Aires. His family were extremely musical and his father Luis Schifrin led the second Violin section of Argentina's most foremost orchestra a the Teatro Colon.

When Lalo turned six he started of his musical career with a 6 year study on Piano with Enrique Barenboim who sadly passed away in 1998. After the six years of study Lalo then pursued 4 years of studying on his own and self development, he soon turned 16 and was then learning from the Russian player Andreas Karalis who at one time was head of the Kiev Conservatory.

Additionally Lalo also studied harmony for 5 years with Juan-Carlos Paz who was an Argentinean composer. For all this time Lalo was deeply interested in jazz and his interest flourished even though he still found time to successfully pursue sociology and law at the university of Buenos Aires.

Paris and onwards...

However Law and Sociology was to make way for his keen love of music. At the age of 20 he applied for schlorship at the Paris Conservatoire and in which he successfully got in. The Conservatoire gave Lalo the chance to study under people such as Oliver Messiaen's and also Charles Koechlin. To keep his living Lalo would play jazz in the heart of Paris. Finally at the age of 23 Lalo represented his country in the international Jazz festival in 1955.

After he had finished at Paris Lalo returned to Argentina, here he set up Latin America's first jazz orchestra. The band was a 16 piece that became part of a very popular TV show on Buenos Aires TV, it was also around this time that he began to accept other TV, Film and Radio assignments as well.

In 1956 Lalo met Dizzy Gillespie during one of the famous trumpet player state department tours, they talked and eventually Lalo offered to compose an extended work for Gillespie's big band. So he wrote and in 1958 Lalo had produced 'Gillespiana' this was the same year he won the Argentina's Academy award for his score to the film EL Jefe

The success of Gillespiana put Lalo in a very good position, soon he was working with Gillespie full time and travelling around America and soon he was also recording under his own name, although he still recorded with Gillespie at that time. Soon Schifrin finished with Gillespie to relax and take things more slowly during this time he worked with:

Soon Lalo found himself working for M-G-M and in 1963 Lalo had his first assignment for the famous African film Rhino. Lalo moved with his wife into Hollywood to accomodate themseleves, it was at this time that he began his full time film career.

Do ya feel lucky punk...well do ya!

Lalo has now gone on to do many different scores and television titles, all these add to the fact that he is a brilliant man, the most famous of his scores are:

Lalo Schifrin now lives with his wife in Beverly Hills in Groucho Marx's former mansion. At the age of 69 Lalo continues to work at a very hectic pace, continuing to do film scores and also conducting orchestras as well.